A Recipe for Cooking

Celebrate the joys of a great day in the kitchen and a meal shared with family and friends with this follow-up to the bestselling, IACP Award-winning Twelve Recipes, featuring next level, home-cook-friendly recipes for occasions large and small.

Twelve Recipes provided the basic techniques and recipes for essential home cooking. Now, A Recipe for Cooking takes home cooks to the next level.

Cal Peternell gives you everything you need to cook for big get-togethers, holiday feasts, family occasions, and for a special dinner for two. He organizes the recipes by season to help cooks plan their meals from first bite to last—how a meal should start, what should be the main attraction, what should be served alongside, and how to choose the perfect finish.

Illustrated with charming color photos and drawings, A Recipes for Cooking offers a range of delicious, easy-to-master fare: Savory Tart with Onions, Olive, and Anchovies; Shredded Zucchini Fritters with Basil Mayonnaise; Citrus Salad with Ginger, Cilantro, and Saffron-toasted Pistachios; Fish and Shellfish Soup; Rolled Pork Loin Roast Stuffed with Olives and Herbs; Lasagna Bolognese; Belgian Endive Gratin with Gruyere and Prosciutto; and a Blood Orange and Buttermilk Tart. Each of Cal's recipes utilizes the freshest, most delicious ingredients of each season.

Here are meals to share with close family and good friends—to laugh, drink, and cook with—as well as dishes that give you some quiet time in the kitchen, slicing, seasoning, and simmering. With food to make introductions, to commemorate, to celebrate, even, on occasion, to gently instigate, A Recipe for Cooking is Cal Peternell at his wittiest, warmest, and most inspiring.

The follow-up to the bestselling, International Association of Culinary Professionals Award—winning Twelve Recipes, A Recipe for Cooking provides next-level, home-cook-friendly recipes for occasions large and small. Here you’ll find everything you need to cook for big get-togethers, holiday feasts, family occasions, and special dinners for two. Organized by courses, this celebratory book helps cooks plan their meals from first bite to last—how a meal should start, what should be the main attraction, what should be served alongside, and how to choose the perfect finish.

A Recipe for Cooking offers a range of delicious, easy-to-master fare, including a Savory Flaky Tart with Onions, Olives, and Anchovies; Vegetable Fritters; Citrus Salad with Ginger, Cilantro, and Saffron-Toasted Pistachios; Fish and Shellfish Soup; Rolled Pork Loin Roast Stuffed with Olives and Herbs; 15-Layer Lasagna; Belgian Endive Gratin with Pecorino and Prosciutto; and an Orange and Cardamom Cream Tart. Here are meals to share with close family and good friends—to laugh, drink, and cook with—as well as dishes that give you some quiet time in the kitchen, slicing, seasoning, and simmering. With food to make introductions; to commemorate; to celebrate; even, on occasion, to gently instigate, A Recipe for Cooking is Cal Peternell at his wittiest, warmest, and most inspiring.

Praise for Twelve Recipes: “The best beginner’s cookbook of the year, if not the decade. In addition to being warm, funny and smart, Twelve Recipes will actually teach you to cook. . . . [Peternell] can nudge anyone, from novice to expert, to want to be a better cook. . . . His wit and intelligence are apparent throughout.” - New York Times Book Review

“[A] smart new cookbook . . . written for new cooks, for uncertain cooks, for good cooks looking for simple inspiration, for anyone wrestling with a New Year’s resolution to cook more and better. . . . The recipes are narratives, written conversationally, like excellent emails from a friend explaining how to make béchamel.” - Sam Sifton, New York Times

“Warm, funny, and full of cool recipes. [Cal Peternell’s] decades of working at Chez Panisse are molded into solid, grounded advice for cooks who are just starting out.” - Refinery29.com

“His tone is casual and conversational, and makes you feel you have a friend in the kitchen with you, cheering you on? If you feel you could use help with the basics . . . this is the book for you. More seasoned cooks . . . there’s plenty here of interest for us, too.” - SF Weekly

“One of the best books of the year . . . [Twelve Recipes] is a culinary manual written for beginners, but full of useful chef wisdom that an experienced cook will appreciate, all written in a very conversational tone that makes this book such a pleasure to read.” - Minneapolis Star Tribune

“The author devotes his new collection to multicourse meals for enjoying with friends…The conversational tone, which extends to the recipe instructions, invites leisurely reading and cooking…this title can help put together elegant, delicious gatherings.” - Library Journal

“Cal has cooked for and fed his family. They are happy. Cal has cooked for and fed my family. We are happy. Use his thoughtful and entertaining cookbook to help you cook for and feed yours. Be happy!” - Frances McDormand, actor, mother, home cook, and lover of food and cookbooks

“Cal is a bona fide master… I may not know how to cook, but my buddy Cal just gave me the recipe!” - Chris Thile

“Full of useful building blocks (like an entire chapter on sauces) that can fit in any modern cook?s repertoire…The balance of foundational French technique with American practicality make A Recipe for Cooking a simple yet modern classic.” - Saveur (Best New Cookbooks of Winter 2016)

“A Chez Panisse chef cooks beautiful, simple, farm-inspired dishes with his family.” - TheKitchn.com (2016's Best New Cookbooks)

“You cannot go wrong acquiring Peternell’s titles in your collection - they are the perfect gift for the cook in your life.” - EatYourBooks.com (The Forty Best Cookbooks of 2016)

“Peternell’s insightful new cookbook is designed for cooks who want to go beyond the basics… [Following] the seasons as it offers a game plan for every aspect of a meal. Home cooks will find more complex variations as well as possible ways to simplify the recipes.” - Chicago Tribune (a Best Cookbook of 2016)